Just got back from visiting bro, sis in law and nephews x 2 in California. Great to see them, i love them and miss them dearly. We hung and ate our way through Cali.
Went to the San Rafael Farmers Market on Saturday morning. A wide array of fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, meats, fishes, flowers and other natural products were all super impressive. But what made this place were the available HOT and Prepared foods. Incredible waffles, thai food, rotisserie chickens and porchetta, grilled oysters, mediteranean food, artisinal pizzas and much much more. You don't have to be a cook or a foodie to appreciate this greenmarket. It is approachable and delicious no matter your level of food knowledge or environmental awareness. Our greenmarket strikes me as somewhat exclusive to the masses because it is not approachable in the same way, and i find it unfortunate. I know the local restaurants may oppose the presence of competitors of this type in the area, but perhaps they should get an opportunity to participate? Just my two cents.
Been listening to a band named "Vampire Weekend", the album is Contra.
It is very very good. Mixture of many genres, kind of like Paul Simon goes Indy with a beat. Highly recommend checking it out.
Can't believe we are less than 6 weeks from Opening Day!!! There is hope as a Met fan if we can keep our pitchers healthy. Hope is good!!! Then there is Fantasy Baseball, which is the greatest invention since the Frozen Drink machine.
Watched a special on Discovery the other day which was UNREAL. "Air Jaws" about the sharks off of South Africa that go airborne while hunting seals. You need to DVR this thing, it is absurd.
And rewatched Jaws the other night. It may be the most perfect film every made. If you haven't seen it lately you need to rewatch this film, it is Spielberg at his best.
Enjoy the local weather (if you aren't here)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
VDAY should always be the Sunday after the Superbowl!
Some holidays are on a date (xmas = dec 25), some are on a specific day of the week (thxsgiving = last Thur in Nov) . I hereby motion to make Valentine's Day the Sunday after Superbowl Sunday every year.
Every Sunday all fall and winter, most wives, girlfriends and lovers lose their husbands, boyfriends and men to America's real pasttime, the NFL. While there are plenty of female fans out there, please accept my generalizations as generally true. The Super Bowl is a dream for these ladies, as it signifies that they get their guys back on Sundays, at least for a few weeks (NCAA tourney, baseball, NBA/NHL playoffs, Golfing season!). How fitting is it to follow up the Superbowl with Valentine's Day? It is a huge thank you for the freedom, or a sorry for the inattention.
Sunday is also the right day for the holiday. It's easier to get reservations because half of the people go out Saturday night. Brunch is in play as a more affordable option. Getting last minute gifts and cards is easier as you have Saturday. It just works.
Other stuff:
http://www.restaurant.com/
This site has $25 vouchers for local restaurants, you pay $10.
The real value comes once you've bought one. You will start to receive emails offering 50% - 80% off of these vouchers, allowing you to purchase $25 for $2, legitamately. Log on to see if anywhere you are already eating is on there. It is found money.
Cooking tip (i found on the net)
Ever have a block of sugar? Put it into a ziplock with a piece of bread. Two hours later you will again have crumbly sugar.
Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone.
Every Sunday all fall and winter, most wives, girlfriends and lovers lose their husbands, boyfriends and men to America's real pasttime, the NFL. While there are plenty of female fans out there, please accept my generalizations as generally true. The Super Bowl is a dream for these ladies, as it signifies that they get their guys back on Sundays, at least for a few weeks (NCAA tourney, baseball, NBA/NHL playoffs, Golfing season!). How fitting is it to follow up the Superbowl with Valentine's Day? It is a huge thank you for the freedom, or a sorry for the inattention.
Sunday is also the right day for the holiday. It's easier to get reservations because half of the people go out Saturday night. Brunch is in play as a more affordable option. Getting last minute gifts and cards is easier as you have Saturday. It just works.
Other stuff:
http://www.restaurant.com/
This site has $25 vouchers for local restaurants, you pay $10.
The real value comes once you've bought one. You will start to receive emails offering 50% - 80% off of these vouchers, allowing you to purchase $25 for $2, legitamately. Log on to see if anywhere you are already eating is on there. It is found money.
Cooking tip (i found on the net)
Ever have a block of sugar? Put it into a ziplock with a piece of bread. Two hours later you will again have crumbly sugar.
Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Charles Barkley threatens 14 year old (me)
May 7, 1990
I was a camper at JKST (Julian Krinsky school of tennis) based at Haverford college. I was playing golf in the mornings, squash or tennis in the afternoons. As part of the golf program, we volunteered at the Tylenol Kids Classic, a golf tournament held in the Philly Area. In the morning time, i held the sign behind Bill Glasson, showing his score. In the afternoon, we worked the ropes for a celebrity skins game between Michael Jordan, Frank Gifford, Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt. Great field, but making it even better was the emergence of Charles Barkley caddying for MJ. Dressed to the nines with pom pom on head, socks raised, looking like Payne Stewart with no NFL affiliation, Barkley was reduced to a side show.
I have been a lifelong sixers fan and modeled my game after Sir Charles himself. So obviously i took a few pictures. Barkley sees this and turns to me, "kid, if you take another FBOMB'in picture of me, i'm gonna shove that FBOMB'in camera down your FBOMB'in throat". I WAS TRAUMATIZED. I can understand the frustration of not being able to participate (Barkley supposedly didn't have the game to play) , but if he was gonna be so touchy, he shouldn't have taken the gig. Guarantee you he'd remember this incident.
The real shame of this story is that i have no idea whatsoever what became of this roll of film. Barkley was traded the following year for Hornacek in a really bad deal, and i was probably the only Sixers fan happy about it.
Next Blog is going to be about a good celebrity encounter from my past.
Have a great weekend.
I was a camper at JKST (Julian Krinsky school of tennis) based at Haverford college. I was playing golf in the mornings, squash or tennis in the afternoons. As part of the golf program, we volunteered at the Tylenol Kids Classic, a golf tournament held in the Philly Area. In the morning time, i held the sign behind Bill Glasson, showing his score. In the afternoon, we worked the ropes for a celebrity skins game between Michael Jordan, Frank Gifford, Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt. Great field, but making it even better was the emergence of Charles Barkley caddying for MJ. Dressed to the nines with pom pom on head, socks raised, looking like Payne Stewart with no NFL affiliation, Barkley was reduced to a side show.
I have been a lifelong sixers fan and modeled my game after Sir Charles himself. So obviously i took a few pictures. Barkley sees this and turns to me, "kid, if you take another FBOMB'in picture of me, i'm gonna shove that FBOMB'in camera down your FBOMB'in throat". I WAS TRAUMATIZED. I can understand the frustration of not being able to participate (Barkley supposedly didn't have the game to play) , but if he was gonna be so touchy, he shouldn't have taken the gig. Guarantee you he'd remember this incident.
The real shame of this story is that i have no idea whatsoever what became of this roll of film. Barkley was traded the following year for Hornacek in a really bad deal, and i was probably the only Sixers fan happy about it.
Next Blog is going to be about a good celebrity encounter from my past.
Have a great weekend.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Robert, Landmarc, AT+T Wireless, Garage Sale Gold
The company i work for, Ark Restaurants http://www.arkrestaurants.com/ recently opened a new restaurant, Robert. It is located at Columbus circle on the top floor of the Museum of Art and Design. Kim (my incredible wife) and I went the other night for a cocktail and were both blown away by the sophistication of the view, the room and the service. We are excited to go back and try the food, the menu was great. This is a non-trendy, old NY kind of place. It is going to be a tough tough ticket. (this review would not have changed an iota if i were not affiliated with the company)
We then crossed the street to go to Landmarc at the TWC, a goto for us when we have no reservation. LOVE this place, as it is informal, the food is a solid B+ and the value on the wine list has no equal. Their whole concept is to mark up their wine less, and because of this they get product from vineyards that normally don't supply New York restaurants. We got a half bottle of Merry Edwards Sauv Blanc and it was unbelievable. Normally we go here with a group and share lots of stuff. Their risotto is pretty good, as are the marrow bones. They are known for their mussels and steaks though. This time, I ordered a burger and it absolutely blew me away. It was steaky, charred on the out and bloody on the in. It was served on an Onion Foccacia Roll that held everything in place perfectly. It was aged steaky meat and I can't wait to go back and have another!
I beat up my phones. So after a year and a half with the current one, i went to Fusion Wireless in Port Washington. The guy who helped me, Sandy Blane, knows how to serve a customer. In ten minutes i walked out with a new blackberry with my entire memory reprogrammed. I asked virtually no questions, he just let me know the best deal going on. I laid out $64 for the new phone and i have a $100 gift card on the way. But we all know how big a pain in the @ss getting all the paperwork together for a rebate is. Cut this, paste this, copy this and mail. He did it all for me, put it in a pre-addressed envelope and all i had to do was stamp and mail it. Very satisfying.
A house a few doors down from us was recently sold. They were having a garage sale this past weekend and i decided to check if they were selling some stuff we have been searching for. Lo and behold, the gentleman was selling his CD's!!! For $40 i picked up every Pearl Jam, STP, and Nirvana disc, as well as various Foo Fighters, Live, Alice in Chains, Journey discs. There were also like 10 soundtracks, some Richard marx (yippee, j/k) discs. All in all about 85 discs. Think i am going to start looking for more garage sales. Shame the couple is moving, they were very nice.
Til Next Time
And yes, i am avoiding any Mets discussions at the moment.
http://www.robertatmad.com/
http://www.landmarc-restaurant.com/
http://www.merryedwards.com/
Fusion wireless is at 65 Main St. in Port
We then crossed the street to go to Landmarc at the TWC, a goto for us when we have no reservation. LOVE this place, as it is informal, the food is a solid B+ and the value on the wine list has no equal. Their whole concept is to mark up their wine less, and because of this they get product from vineyards that normally don't supply New York restaurants. We got a half bottle of Merry Edwards Sauv Blanc and it was unbelievable. Normally we go here with a group and share lots of stuff. Their risotto is pretty good, as are the marrow bones. They are known for their mussels and steaks though. This time, I ordered a burger and it absolutely blew me away. It was steaky, charred on the out and bloody on the in. It was served on an Onion Foccacia Roll that held everything in place perfectly. It was aged steaky meat and I can't wait to go back and have another!
I beat up my phones. So after a year and a half with the current one, i went to Fusion Wireless in Port Washington. The guy who helped me, Sandy Blane, knows how to serve a customer. In ten minutes i walked out with a new blackberry with my entire memory reprogrammed. I asked virtually no questions, he just let me know the best deal going on. I laid out $64 for the new phone and i have a $100 gift card on the way. But we all know how big a pain in the @ss getting all the paperwork together for a rebate is. Cut this, paste this, copy this and mail. He did it all for me, put it in a pre-addressed envelope and all i had to do was stamp and mail it. Very satisfying.
A house a few doors down from us was recently sold. They were having a garage sale this past weekend and i decided to check if they were selling some stuff we have been searching for. Lo and behold, the gentleman was selling his CD's!!! For $40 i picked up every Pearl Jam, STP, and Nirvana disc, as well as various Foo Fighters, Live, Alice in Chains, Journey discs. There were also like 10 soundtracks, some Richard marx (yippee, j/k) discs. All in all about 85 discs. Think i am going to start looking for more garage sales. Shame the couple is moving, they were very nice.
Til Next Time
And yes, i am avoiding any Mets discussions at the moment.
http://www.robertatmad.com/
http://www.landmarc-restaurant.com/
http://www.merryedwards.com/
Fusion wireless is at 65 Main St. in Port
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Haitian Reality, Texting for charity, Our Country, Feeding America
What happenned in Haiti was TERRIBLE. My heart goes out to each and every person personally affected by this tragedy.
What was going on before the earthquake was equally tragic. Home of poverty, illiteracy, political instability, Haiti has been a bastion of all of the problems typical of a third world nation. They have been virtually ignored, despite the humanitarian atrocities taking place there on a daily basis.
The enormous death toll was exacerbated by shoddy building materials, overcrowding and a host of existing problems that have been virtually ignored by the world.
It is great that everyone is opening their wallets, texting relief and feeling genuine compassion for their plight.
That said, we have our own problems in this country. Why can't we all motivate to donate locally. There are millions of Americans living meal to meal. They call this food insecurity. http://www.feedingamerica.org/ is an organization focused on making sure our own residents are fed. You can donate $5 on your cell phone bill by texting FEED to 90999.
I am not saying that you should not donate money to Haiti, just while you are feeling generous, don't forget about our own people.
What was going on before the earthquake was equally tragic. Home of poverty, illiteracy, political instability, Haiti has been a bastion of all of the problems typical of a third world nation. They have been virtually ignored, despite the humanitarian atrocities taking place there on a daily basis.
The enormous death toll was exacerbated by shoddy building materials, overcrowding and a host of existing problems that have been virtually ignored by the world.
It is great that everyone is opening their wallets, texting relief and feeling genuine compassion for their plight.
That said, we have our own problems in this country. Why can't we all motivate to donate locally. There are millions of Americans living meal to meal. They call this food insecurity. http://www.feedingamerica.org/ is an organization focused on making sure our own residents are fed. You can donate $5 on your cell phone bill by texting FEED to 90999.
I am not saying that you should not donate money to Haiti, just while you are feeling generous, don't forget about our own people.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Them Crooked Vultures, Cooking Tips, Parking Links and More
Many have asked me why i am not writing about food.
Simple answer is that is what i do for a living, and that wouldn't be much of an escape.
Complicated answer is that i think that there are way too many people critiquing food and not enough enjoying it. Lots of work goes into cooking and serving meals, i'd rather not be the critical one.
Had a few meals recently though worth checking in on.
Sriprithai (number 1 rated Thai in NY) opened a branch in East Williston (next to Roslyn) and it is by FAR the best Thai I have had. HOT HOT HOT, if you are sensitive order mild. Delicious, can't wait to go back.
Trata of Hamptons and City fame opened in the old Buongusto space in the old town of Roslyn. Beautiful space, good vibe, great food. Expensive place, happy to have had a gift card (thanks Larry)
Cooking Tips in response to recent queries
Use chicken stock instead of water next time you make rice, you won't believe the difference.
If it was refrigerated when you bought it, put it in the fridge. If it wasn't, then don't. If you cut it open, put it in the fridge regardless of where it came from.
Mets got their man in Bay. Hope he comes through. Doug Davis and Benji Molina will hopefully be next.
If you are a rock fan and aren't listening to Them Crooked Vultures, time to get on board.
John Paul Jones (Zepplin), Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stoneage) comprise the group. The hit single, "Newfang" has a great beat and the other tracks are the kind that grow on you quickly.
Also, this video of Weezer covering MGMT and GAGA has to be watched. I am not really a weezer fan, but a fan of this song, it is really ON.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_8GNaEVCPU
Few helpful links before ending this edition
http://www.centralparking.com/ for discounted NYC parking vouchers
http://www.bestparking.com/ to find cheapest parking at time and place of your travel
Hope you had great vacations or got a lot done while everyone else was away.
Happy New Year
Simple answer is that is what i do for a living, and that wouldn't be much of an escape.
Complicated answer is that i think that there are way too many people critiquing food and not enough enjoying it. Lots of work goes into cooking and serving meals, i'd rather not be the critical one.
Had a few meals recently though worth checking in on.
Sriprithai (number 1 rated Thai in NY) opened a branch in East Williston (next to Roslyn) and it is by FAR the best Thai I have had. HOT HOT HOT, if you are sensitive order mild. Delicious, can't wait to go back.
Trata of Hamptons and City fame opened in the old Buongusto space in the old town of Roslyn. Beautiful space, good vibe, great food. Expensive place, happy to have had a gift card (thanks Larry)
Cooking Tips in response to recent queries
Use chicken stock instead of water next time you make rice, you won't believe the difference.
If it was refrigerated when you bought it, put it in the fridge. If it wasn't, then don't. If you cut it open, put it in the fridge regardless of where it came from.
Mets got their man in Bay. Hope he comes through. Doug Davis and Benji Molina will hopefully be next.
If you are a rock fan and aren't listening to Them Crooked Vultures, time to get on board.
John Paul Jones (Zepplin), Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stoneage) comprise the group. The hit single, "Newfang" has a great beat and the other tracks are the kind that grow on you quickly.
Also, this video of Weezer covering MGMT and GAGA has to be watched. I am not really a weezer fan, but a fan of this song, it is really ON.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_8GNaEVCPU
Few helpful links before ending this edition
http://www.centralparking.com/ for discounted NYC parking vouchers
http://www.bestparking.com/ to find cheapest parking at time and place of your travel
Hope you had great vacations or got a lot done while everyone else was away.
Happy New Year
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
500 days of Summer, Pandora, The Mets, EBATES.com
Have great vacations to all of you taking off or taking off.
500 days of summer, good flick, recommended. When did Zooey Deschanel get that good looking? (congrats to G. Arend, who i used to manage at John's, he has turned into a succesful and talented actor)
Did you know that there is a guy that works for the railroad for free? He is working on the railroad "just to pass the time away". And there is an MTA budget crisis. They NEED to interview this guy.
This is what Pandora just played for me...
Lips like Sugar by Echo and the Bunnymen
Age of Consent by New Order
Friday I'm in Love by the Cure
It is feeling quite alternative apparently.
Haven't checked out http://www.ebates.com/ Do you spend money online? THEN SIGN UP!!! you get money back for nothing.
Going to see Avatar for Xmas, can't wait.
METS. They have now effectively waited out the market.
Tell Bay and Molina to find new offers. You need people that WANT to be Mets. Sign Derosa, sign Hudson, sign Sheets, sign Barajas, sign Brett Myers, spread the money. Get a lot of high upside guys. Next years crop will be better and why give up any draft picks at this point?
Yankee fans need to stop complaining about Javy Vazquez. Guy would be a #1 on half the teams in MLB and #2 on the other half. Don't be spoiled brats. Appreciate that your #4 starter has 1000 IP and 1000K's in the last 5 years, absurd!
Anyone seen G.I. Joe the movie? Lemme know, very curious. Anyone know anything about the EPIX channel on fios? Does it include all pay per view? Anyone eaten at the new Siripithai or at the LI version of Trata?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
500 days of summer, good flick, recommended. When did Zooey Deschanel get that good looking? (congrats to G. Arend, who i used to manage at John's, he has turned into a succesful and talented actor)
Did you know that there is a guy that works for the railroad for free? He is working on the railroad "just to pass the time away". And there is an MTA budget crisis. They NEED to interview this guy.
This is what Pandora just played for me...
Lips like Sugar by Echo and the Bunnymen
Age of Consent by New Order
Friday I'm in Love by the Cure
It is feeling quite alternative apparently.
Haven't checked out http://www.ebates.com/ Do you spend money online? THEN SIGN UP!!! you get money back for nothing.
Going to see Avatar for Xmas, can't wait.
METS. They have now effectively waited out the market.
Tell Bay and Molina to find new offers. You need people that WANT to be Mets. Sign Derosa, sign Hudson, sign Sheets, sign Barajas, sign Brett Myers, spread the money. Get a lot of high upside guys. Next years crop will be better and why give up any draft picks at this point?
Yankee fans need to stop complaining about Javy Vazquez. Guy would be a #1 on half the teams in MLB and #2 on the other half. Don't be spoiled brats. Appreciate that your #4 starter has 1000 IP and 1000K's in the last 5 years, absurd!
Anyone seen G.I. Joe the movie? Lemme know, very curious. Anyone know anything about the EPIX channel on fios? Does it include all pay per view? Anyone eaten at the new Siripithai or at the LI version of Trata?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
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